Exhaust Leak on '99

[Freebird]

My wife has been complaining this trip about a strong exhaust odor. I'm not sure yet that I've found the problem but this morning V7Goose and I were looking my bike over and found the notorious pinhole exhaust leak at the "Y" where the front and rear header pipes come together. I am only mentioning this because this is the first that he or I have seen this problem on the earlier RSV. I know that many of the '05 and/or '06 models had this issue but not the '99 and other models. I ended up pulling the "Y" off the bike and repaired it with JB weld. Seems to have worked very well. Still not sure if it's the source of the exhaust that is bothering Eileen but we'll know after we've had time time ride a bit more.

[cecdoo]

Couldnt be any of that "Moose Hall" chili, could it:rotf:

[BOO]

I'm thinking maybe you raised the "rev limiter" to much and the exhaust just can't get through the system fast enough and blew a hole in the pipe.

Jerry

[SaltyDawg]

Buzzard_NC has a 2003 with the pinhole leak at the y like the others.

[V7Goose]

Hey Don, how'd that fix do for your exhaust smell? Now that you two have put some more miles on it, we should be able to get a definitive answer. Sure would be great if it was really that easy!

Goose

[Freebird]

MUCH better but still not 100% gone. I think I am getting a bit of leakage from the caps that I made for the AIS after I removed it. I think I'll look at that tomorrow morning before we ride again.

[Guest JGorom]

I know that many of the '05 and/or '06 models had this issue but not the '99 and other models. I ended up pulling the "Y" off the bike and repaired it with JB weld. Seems to have worked very well. Still not sure if it's the source of the exhaust that is bothering Eileen but we'll know after we've had time time ride a bit more.

 

Well...hope that solves your problem Don, that and your AIS caps. I had both of my pipes replaced under warranty for my 05 RSTD, and have one pipe that is going to be replaced under warranty on the 04 Venture I purchased from Circuit Rider. I mention this only because everyone who is still under warranty should check their bike to make sure they do not have leakage. Part of the popping problem on deceleration can be attributed to a leaky "Y" connection.

 

For me it was easy to find on my newly acquired Venture because of the discoloration around the "Y" fitting. On my RSTD it was more difficult to find because there was no discoloration but I could feel the leakage.

[gibvel]

So, how does one go about finding this leak? Does anyone have photos of said leak or photos of where to be looking for it? Can't say this is my problem but I'm looking at all possibilities.

 

Thanks

[V7Goose]

So, how does one go about finding this leak? Does anyone have photos of said leak or photos of where to be looking for it? Can't say this is my problem but I'm looking at all possibilities.

 

Thanks

The leak is at the Y connection where the rear header joins the front header. These pipes are only crimped together, not welded, and often the crimp leaves a big bubble large enough to stick a toothpick through. You cannot really see it unless you take the pipe off, but it is usually easy to feel with your fingers. You can also hold a lit cigarette around the joint to see of the smoke just rolls by the pipe or is blown away or dissipated by the exhaust. Best way to do the smoke test is to hold the cigarette below the pipe before you start the bike to watch the smoke pattern, then see if there is any change when you fire it up.

 

Many that have the leak will see gray discoloration on the chrome heat shield right at the Y. This is not bluing from heat, just deposits from the exhaust gasses, so it wipes off easily. That means you won't see it if you haven't been riding some since you washed the bike!

 

If you do find a leak here but no longer in warranty, my suggestion is to seal it up with JB Weld (that's what we did for Don's pipe). I can't guarantee that it will last forever, but I doubt if the pipe gets too hot for it that far down, so it should.

Goose